Innersole for welted shoes.



H. F. CRAWFORD.

INNERSOLE FOR WELTED snons.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 13/1911.

Patented Jun 11,1912.

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sole after the upper and welt have been seinto the inner sole.

' through the outer sole and practically spoilshank portion by the application to its unstiffener to work downwardly and out into nersole after the lasting and inseam stitchivice seated on djil'fiupp l' surface of the inner sole so thatitcainnot be pulled through the latter toward its under surface, and be- .the upper-surface of the inner sole during D STATES Phif.

HARVEY F. CRAWFORD, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, or" QIQQ'EE-JEEAXEQF re GEORGE H. SNOW, 0F BROGKTON, MASSAGHUSISTCW. i

INNERSOLE FOR wEL'rnn snails.

1,02%:278. speqlfication of Letters Patent it atent-e nne Application filed. December 13, 1911. Serial 685,546.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, HARVEY F. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and" useful Improvements in Innersoles for lVelted Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a welted shoe, the inner sole of which is stiffened at its ordinary wooden last is in the shoe, a condition that must prevail at the time when the stirlener is applied and secured.

the inner sole before the inner seam is formed because it would be in the way of the needle of the sewing-machine which forms such seam. Heretofore, the only fastening that has been provided for the forward end of the shank stiffener has been afforded by a tack or nail driven through the stiffener into the under surface of the inner sole and having no positive engagement with the latter, so that the fastener becomes loosened when the shoe is in use and permits the forward end of'the stiffener to cut through and into the outer sole.

My invention consists in an inner sole for a welted shoe provided at the forward portion of its shankpart with a stiffener-securing member having a head portion seated on the upper sin'face of the inner sole so that it cannot be pulled through the sole toward its under side, and a body port-ion extending through the sole and projecting der side of a metallic stiffener, usually composed of a strip or strips of sheet steel, the stiffener being interposed between the under surface of the inner soleand the upper surface of the outer sole. i

It is the usual practice to place the stiffener upon the under surface of the inner cured by the inseam stitches to the lip of the inner sole, the said parts being at this time on the last and the stiffener being secured in place by tacks or small nails driven The outer sole is then applied and secured as usual. Much difliculty has been experienced owing to the tendency of the forward end of the shank tions of the usual lip which receives the in" seam stitches, the projecting portion of said member having means for engaging the forward end portion of a shank stiffener and positively securing it to the inner sole withoutaffecting the flexibility of the sole, the said stiffener-seeming member being applied to the inner sole before the lasting and inseam forming operations and engaged with the stiffener after said operations.

Of the accompanying drawings wnich form a part of this specification, lFigure 1 represents a bottom plan View of a portion of an innersole provided with a stiifcnen securing i'liei'nber in ZICCOI'CltU'JUG with my invention, the sole being ready for lasting; Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and i represent. views similar to Fig. 2 showing modifications; Fig. represents a bottom view of a partially completed. lasted shoe, the inner sole of which is provided with. a stiffener-securin member, as shown by Figs. 1 and. Fig. 5 represents a section: on line S-6 of Fig. 5; T represents a section on line (-15 of Fig. Fig. 8 represents a perspective view showing another modified, form of the stiffenensecuring inember;- Fig. 9 represents a sectional view. showing the member shown by Fig. 8 at the portion of the outer sole' beneath it, the stifiener in many cases cutting entirely ing the shoe. It is practically impossible to positively secure the stiffener to the in ing operations by an adequate fastening defore the application of the outer sole, because the inner sole is then on the ordinary wooden last so that the upper surface of the inner sole is not accessible to enable an adequate fastening device to be seated on its upper surface. Any fastening device drivenv through the shankstifi'ener from the under surface of theinner sole and clenched upon the act of driving, would necessarily leave a rough and irregular portion of the device on the exposed upper surface. on the inner sole which would be objectionable in ap'-- pearance and liable to injure the stocking or the foot. Moreover, it is practically 1mpossible to clench a fastening device on the upper surface of an inner sole wh1le the The shank stiffener can not be secured to 16'with the inner sole.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, (Sand 7, 17 represents a stiffener-securing member which is secured to the forward part of the shank portion of the inner sole before the latter is applied to the last 18. Said fastening memberhas a head which is seated upon the sole and resists.

upper surface of the inner movement of the securing; member downwardly or toward the under surfaceof the inner sole. The body portion of the se-- curing member extends through the inner sole and projects from the under surface thereof, its projecting portion being adapted to engage the forward end portion of a shank stiffener l9 and hold the same posi tively against the under surface of the inner sole.

In the embodiment of my invention shown by Figs. 1, 2', 5. 6, and 7, the securing member 17 is an ordinary bifurcated rivet, the head portion of which bears on the upper surface of the innersole, while the bifurcated shankport-ion passes through the inner sole and projects from the under surface thereof, the parts orbifurcationsof the shank or body portion being bent outwardly in opposite directions to form ears 1T which are spaced from the under surface of the inne sole sufficiently to receire, between their upper sides and the said under surface. the arms .or divisions 19* formed on the forward end portion of the stiffener 19 by a slot in'said end portion. as shown by Fig. 5, said slot being open at the forward end of the stiffener and having a closed inner end. The open end of the slot receives the shank portion of the securing member when the stiffener is moved endwise to its final position. and the closed end of the slot abuts against said shank portion and limits thesaid. endwise movement. The ears 17 which are hereafter re ferred to asthe inner head, are preferably bent to form said head before the lasting and inseam stitch-forming operation, said ears being thus disposed so that they do not interfere with the curved needle of the sewing machine which forms the inseam .stitches. -The sole provided with the 'se-' curing member 17 is lasted, with the upper and welt as usual, the upper and welt being noes-ere secured to the lip 13 before the stiffener 1 9 is applied. After the inseam lias been formed and trii-ni'ned the stiffener 19 may be applied by sliding its arms 19 under the ears 17*..as indicated by Figs. 5. 6, and T. The rear end portion of the stifiener may be secured in theusual way by one or more small tacks or nails 20 driven from the under side of the 'stifiener into the inner. sole. The rear end of the stiffener requires'no positivefastening, the fastening 20 being employed simply to hold the rear portion of the stiffener in place while the outer sole is being applied'and secured. The forward end of the stifiener, positively secured, as described, to the inner sole cannot work loose or more endWise independently and cut intothe outer sole, independent endwise moren'ient of the said end being prevented b the hearing of the closed end of the slot on the shank portionof-the securing member, whi e sidewise movement of the stiffener out. ardl r from the inner In other words. the ears ii may be bent or clenched over the under surface of the stiffener after the latter has been applied to the sole, instead of being bent to form theears or inner head 17 be fore the application of the stiffener.

In Fig. i I show a fastening member composed of a staple 17, the neck of which constitutes a head seated on the upper surface of the inner sole. while the legs are driven through the sole and. project from its under surface so that they may be bent. into position to engage the stiffenereither before or after the application of the stiffener to the inner sole. It will be seen that the portion of the fastening member which projects from and is immediately adjacent tothe under surface of the inner inner end of the smt in the stiffener "bears, said stop limiting the forward endwise movement of the stiffener. and that. the inner head of the fastening -iember is spaced from the sole by saic stop and holds the inner end of the slot against the stop. The bearing of the outer head of the securing member on the upper surface of the inner sole holds the said member against pressure exerted by the stifl'ener on the inner head, so that no means are required at the under surface oft-he innerv sole for holding the securing member in place; innerhead from the under surface of the inner sole is thereforereduced to the miniv sole is prewentedv by the bearing of the arms 'under srrface of the inner The projection of thesole constitutes a stop against which themum, so that said head does not form an objectionable protuberance liable to interfere with the outer sole.

The stiffener-securing member, above described, in each case has a two-part body portion, the inner head which engages the stiffener being composed of the outwardly bent extremities of the said parts. Figs. 8 to 12, I show modifications accomplishing the same result without employing a stiffener-securin member, the body portion of which is bi urcated.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a stiffener-securing member which is a rivet having a tubular shank or bodyportion 17 the outer end of which is adapted to be upset or spread to form a practically continuous or a nular head .17 adapted to engage the shank stiffener.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12, I show a stiffenersecuring member composed of a rivet having a slotted shank or body portion 17 pro- 'id ed with a reduced end 17 and a shoulder 17*. A washer 17 is placed on the reduced portion 17 g against the shoulder 17 and secured by upsetting the said reduced portion, said washer forming the inner head. 1

In each of the above-described embodiments of my invention, the stiffener-engaging member has a finished outer head which is embodied in and is substantially flush with thenpper surface of the sole, and a body portion extending throughthe sole and projecting from the under surface thereof, said body portion being provided at its fro-m the under surface of the sole and adapted to confine a'slotted shank stiffener against the underside of the sole without affecting the flexibility of the part of the sole to which it is attached.

I am aware of the Murray Patent, Number92,634,showinga plate attached to the under surface of an inner sole, saidplate having a downwardly projecting pin adapt ed to engage one end portion of a shank stiffener. The late is I of considerably greater area than the pin and is attached at a plurality of points to the-sole so that it materially stiffens and detractsinner end with an inner head slightly spaced from the flexibility of the shank portion'of the sole. My improved stiffener-supporting member, composed of a finished head seated on the upper surface of theinneresole, and a body portion extending through the sole and provided with an inner head, is adapted to secure a shank stiffener against the under surface of the sole without affecting'the flexibility of the sole, and without' forming an objectionable protuberance on the under surface thereof.

I claim "1. An inner'sole for a welted. shoe provided at the forward portion of the shank part with a stiffener-engaging member composed of a finished outer head embedded in and' substantially flush with the upper surface'of the sole, and a body portion extending through the sole and projecting from the under surface thereof, said body portion being provided at its inner end with an inner head slightly spaced from the under surface 'of the sole and adapted to bear on the under side of a slotted shank st-iffener'and confine said stiffener against the under side of the sole without affecting the flexibility of the so e.

2'. An inner sole for a welted shoe provided atthe forward portion of its shank part with a stiffener-engaging member composed of a finished outer head embedded in and flush with the-upper surface of the sole, and two prongs integral with said head and extending through the sole and projecting from the under surface thereof, the outer endsof said prongs being bent outwardly in opposite directions toward the edges of the' sole to form ears slightly spaced from the under surface of the sole and adapted to bear on the under side of a shank stiffener, the said member being adapted toconfine a slotted stiffener against the under side of the sole without affecting the flexibility of the sole.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY F; CRAWFORD. Wit-ne'sses:

C. F. Brown, P. W. PEZZE'1"1 I. 

